Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel Review

The third Army of Two game continues the great gameplay as the previous two; players can tear through stacks of bricks, walls, boxes and crates to get to the man sitting on the opposite side. Bring in another player for double the fun and some assistance other than NPC!

Army of Two: The Devils Carter is a third tactical person shooter that takes us on an adventure, often times confusing, and yet turns out to be one of the better Army of Two games. While we take the chance to play alone or with a friend as Bravo and Alpha, we are on the run in Mexico, on the man-hunt for someone who has betrayed the members of T.W.O.

Many of us who play action adventure games like Army of Two are action junkies anticipating the roar of an explosion or the sounds of a gun clip emptying and reloading. Most of us, in one way or another like the thrill of moving fluidly gunning down the upcoming mercenaries sprinting your way chucking grenades, and The Devil’s cartel delivers this over and over again.

Story:

In Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel we play as two mercenaries, Alpha and Bravo from T.W.O. (Tactical Worldwide Operations), who are out to discover what has happened since Shanghai. The storyline bounces from Shanghai (40th Day) to Mexico for “The Devil’s Cartel”, which is a little frustrating, but makes for some intriguing storyline.

Alpha and Bravo are in search of someone who has betrayed them in more ways than one – the drug lord, El Diablo, has killed off many of the T.W.O members, provoking Alpha and Bravo to run through Mexico, shutting down one of the biggest cartels by going after El Diablo and rescuing Cordova, the mayor. With orders from another member of the squad to bring him in alive, Tyson Rios is injured and the orders change to issuing an all-out battle to bring El Diablo to the ground. But do Alpha and Bravo get him?

Gameplay:

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel as a whole is enjoyable as Visceral manages to mix bits and pieces of the first two installments into the third. One cool, unique feature that has been a part of Army of Two games is the customization process, which now has more unlockables such as masks, gear and the option to create your own mask! Overkill is also back from the first game which allows the player several seconds of a slow motion, extra power mode to kill those bad guys getting ready to ambush.

The controls are awkward at first but the tutorial is there to assist players who have not played for an extended period of time or are brand new to the “Army of Two” games. With no dodge/roll mechanic, it is hard to get from one place to another, especially when a grenade is chucked at you and begins to beep next to your feet. The best you can do is move to another cover or another side by simply using A and the left stick. The sensitivity was also an issue at first, but it is adjustable in the options selection.

The customization process has many sweet features like creating your own mask and upgrading your gear as you level up and gain more money to be used towards purchases. Guns are upgraded with sights, barrels, butt stocks, magazines and extras like fore-grips and laser sights. Also, if you manage to pick up the Overkill Edition; bonus weapons, masks, missions and gear are available that would not be in the standard version. This could be where some of the awesome “Dead Space 3” masks come in. Masks are earned by leveling you player or unlocking with the earning monies by completely missions. Not having a multiplayer might be a good thing as it was brought in when “40th Day” came to be and it was not a success, forcing Visceral to decide that it would be best to take it out for “The Devil’s Cartel”. Even though there is no multiplayer, it is enjoyable to kick back and play a new campaign, break down some doors, and use the popular AK-47 or a SAW to knock some people on their asses!

Another feature that impressed me in “Army of Two” is the melee technique, which is similar to how it was in the previous two games. The way a man goes down is you stab a dude in the neck on one side and bash his face in from the other, forcing him to the ground in a pretty sweet moment that would make any player proud of a take-down.

Graphics:

Another feature, which was brought in with “Battlefield 3”, is the Frostbite 2 engine which allows the gamer to tear though brick walls, metal sheeting, crates and wooden boxes to get to the opponent on the other side and take the kill. Transitioning from one cover spot to another is more fluid than ever before as well. Frostbite 2 not only allows massive destruction on surrounding things that get into the way, but has smoother animation, larger spaces, and even has better, crisper looking graphics. The graphics here are great and look better in HD! Thanks to the frostbite engine, the buildings and people look amazingly realistic and makes moving from one place to another smooth and intuitive. Imagery is a huge thing in the gaming world and if it does not do well, then most players will move on to the next game. “Army of Two” looks fantastic and gives a little more value to the game.

Sound:

The sounds in Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel are good as the dialogue is clear and concise, helping make sure the player understands what it going on. The best part of the sound effects is when you slide from one cover to one in front of you, sliding in and hitting the box or crate allows an enjoyable experience as if you were the man in the suit wielding the gun getting ready for a massive take-down. The game’s score also helps with its overall tone, enhancing the effects and the intense moments we experience; from bashing in doors to using melee on some of the charging enemies, to migrating from one place to another in suspense.

Verdict:

Overall, “Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel” is amazing. Being a fan of the game, it is a fun experience and Visceral truly creates something with the engine they use, the previous storylines from the first two games and creates something that has a good overall feel to it. Frostbite works well here and allows the player to move accordingly. Once a player can use the controls like a pro, it makes the campaign far more enjoyable and even more so if you have a buddy playing alongside as your wing man. With the minor things gone and a few brought back in from the other games, “Devils Cartel” has evened out the playing field.

Did you enjoy this article? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. For the latest on all that’s epic in gaming, movies, television and cosplay, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook!